The Board has determined that there is no legal basis to award an effective date earlier than September 1, 2006 for the award of additional pension benefits for a dependent spouse. The claim must be denied.
The deciding factor: The earliest effective date for the appellant's accrued benefits is the first month following the date of receipt of the Veteran's VA Form 21-686c on August 14, 2006. There is no evidence to support an earlier effective date based on the Veteran's discharge from service in 1974.
- Claimed conditions
- Not specified in this decision
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- December 16, 2011
- Citation
- 1145949
This is a plain-language summary generated by AI from a public Board of Veterans’ Appeals decision. It can contain errors — always verify against the original. Read the original VA decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 1145949.
What this means for you
A final Board denial may be appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, generally within 120 days of the Board mailing date. A Supplemental Claim with new and relevant evidence is a separate option. Another Higher-Level Review of the Board decision is not available. Check your own notice: this historical decision does not set your deadline.
What you can do next
Use your own notice and decision stage. A remanded issue is not a final court-appealable denial. VA review guidance and CAVC filing instructions (U.S. federal; reviewed October 7, 2026).
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